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Singing in the Rain... Again

The garden's enjoyed the rain we've had over the past few days and I took advantage of a brief lull over lunchtime yesterday to grab a few photos. Raindrops have a great way of accentuating the form of flowers and vegetation, and some plants like Alchemilla mollis and lupins are positively made for the vagaries of our English weather.

An overcast day means there's even lighting to play with and no need to get up so early as there's a good light to be found in the middle of the day. This kind of weather is great for blooms with richer colours, or for yellows and whites to add highlights to the gloom. However, early morning or evening may be still be preferable on breezier days as the wind usually calms down at those times.

I used to moan about garden visits in the rain, but a trip to the Bloedel Reserve a few years ago opened my eyes to the possibilities of wet days. I've found they help me home in on tiny details which I might otherwise have missed. The same happened at Chelsea Flower Show earlier this year, where that wet day helped me focus on some key elements of good design.

It happened again on Friday when it was time for my monthly visit to West Green House Gardens to take the photos I need to operate their online accounts. It was a miserable drive to Hampshire and I fretted the whole way about not finding enough shots. I needn't have worried, there's plenty to be cracking on with. Thank goodness, as what I needed to do couldn't be postponed to another time.

It turned out to be an an amazing day, accompanied by the sounds of opera singers warming up, a tinkling orchestra, and a reflecting grand piano providing a different view of the garden. This week sees a season of opera and musical events in the gardens, and Friday was the dress rehearsal day for The Marriage of Figaro.

Comments

Also, the smell of the wet ground and the greenery is very refreshing and that's why I love walking in parks right after it has rained and making pictures myself. Nothing looks more lively than a flower with vibrant colours on a gloomy day.Your pictures are amazing.

You're right Abbie, I forgot to mention how a wet day concentrates the garden's scents at nose level and my lupins are adding a real spicy note to the garden on top of the roses. Welcome to Veg Plotting and thanks for your kind remarks :)

I feel your pain Sue- for weeks and weeks any rain we've had has hardly wet the rain gauge. I looked up our average weather for July last night and saw we've had our month's worth over the weekend, so be careful what you wish for!

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* = described as such at the exhibition.

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